Tape-applying machine



H. D. ELLlo-rr 2,335,267 TAPmAPPLYING MACHINE Filed July 30. 19.42 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 30, 1943.

Nov.'30, 1943. H. D. ELLIOTT TAPE-APPLYING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 30. 1942 Nov. 30, 1943;

H. D. ELLIOTT TAPE-APPLYING MAGHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed J-uly 30. 1942 Oum.

Nov. 30, 1943. H. D. ELLIOT-r TAPE-APPLYING `M'AGHINE Filed July 30,` 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4- Patented Nov. 30, 1943 TAPE-APPLYING MACHINE Harry D. Elliott, Wenham, Mass., assigner to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 30, 1942, Serial No. 452,927

17 Claims.

This invention pertainsv Ato machines for Vapplying a reinforcing tape to articles and more especially lto applying a, precoated reinforcing tape to vamp throats.

In blucher and bal type shoes it is desirable to reinforce the vampl throat with tape along that portion to which the quarters of the shoe are -attached inl order to strengthen the connection and to prevent the attaching means from pulling out under the strain of the lasting operations or of subsequent wear. The reinforcing tape in both types of vamp lies along the base of the throat and in the bal type is comparatively short since the quarters are attached to the vamp at the center of the throat. The blucher type vamp throat stay, however, is longer since the quarters are attached at the opposite sides of the throat.

It has been customary in many factories to apply the reinforcing tape to the underside of the vamp by hand andl While machines have been designed for applying tape to the vamp throat they have not met With general success because they have been complicated, expensive to build and not fast enough to compete with hand work.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an improved tape-applying machine in which the tape-advancing, cutting and applying means are combinedl in a simple mechanism, inexpensive to build, rapid and efficient in operation, and affording ready and convenient positioning of the Work.

In general, the preferred machinecomprises tape-severing and applying means operable to sever a predetermined. length lof tape, from a continuous length of tape advanced by oscillatory feeding means having a'releasable tape-engaging member, and applying it to the underside of the vamp throat. As illustrated, invention resides in means for holding the free end of the tape remainder during the return movement of the tape-feeding means for a `succeeding length of the tape, meansy for releasing the tape-engaging member and holding it ineffective during the greater part of return movement of the tapefeeding means, andmeans for opening the holding means and rendering the releasable means effective prior to the termination of the return movement.

The` invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine, partly in section, taken on the line I-I of Fig. 6;

1ig.s2is` a fragmentary side elevation ofl the pressure-applying means, showing 'a part of the tape-severing means and theA adjustment there# for;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transversel section: taken on the line III- III of Fig. 6; Y

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary similar section, but showing the work gripped by the pressure-applying means; y l 4 Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan" view of the'pres-l sure-applying means with the work-backing means removed; l

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the entire machine, broken away in part to vshovv the operating mechanism fo-r the tape-feeding and pressure-apply-- ing means; i

Fig. '7` is a fragmentary perspective view of the backing means; Y

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the pressureapplying means Fig. 9V is a detail vertical section on the line" IX--IX of Fig. 6;

Fig. 10 is a plan view'of the backingl means overlying the work; l

Figs. 11 and 12 show bal and bluchervamps'V with tape applied thereto; and l Fig. 13 is a detail of the tape support takenon the line XIII-XIIIO Fig. 3.

The machine of the present vinvention is for applying a reinforcing tape, one side of whichis coated With adhesive preferably of the pressure sensitive type, to parts'of'shoes and particularly to the throat of either :the blucherv or bal type vampat the portion to which the adjacent corners of the quarters are stitched, thereby to rein-f force that portion to prevent the parts froirrpulh4 ing away from eachl other underL the strainI of lasting or subsequent wear. A bal typevamp V is shown in Fig. 11 and in that type of; vamp" a short piece of tape t is applied'to-the esh or non-display side of the vamp at approximately the center ofthe vamp throat where thequarters` come together andare attached to the vamp.l In the bl-ucher type of vamp V" (Fi`g; `12Xthejquar. ters are stitchedl thereto at `thetoppositie'sidesof' the throat and, accordingly, `the tape'- is laid" across the entire throat.` It `i'skzto behobservd that the machine is` nel: iimitejd in itsy use te the application'of reinforcing tape to vainpal'nut that it may also be employed for applying 'tape to other parts of shoes, for example, backseams'; eyelet rows, etc. l

Referring toFirs. 1' and 3, the machinefcomprises, generally', a" support `Iii for the work to'` which the tapeis tcfbel applied;4 amnolupon` which the Work is disposed' with 'its-1 flesh "surface4 down,

tape-feeding means I2 for moving a predetermined length of tape in a plane beneath the work support to a position in which it may be applied to the Work, means lll for severing the advanced length of tape from its source of supply, and means It for pressing the severed tape into engagement With the work, an opening i 8 being provided in the work support through which the pressure-applying means raises the tape into engagement with the flesh side of the work. The aforesaid means are housed in a hollow base which is of a generally rectangular shape, the removable top portion thereof at the front of the machine being stepped down and having a slightly inclined, transversely extending cover which constitutes the support il) for the work. The inclination of the cover is toward the operator and permits a substantially plan view of the work. The opening iS provided in the cover of the support i is partially closed by a plate 22 (Fig. 6) set into the opening i3 and removably secured to the inclined cover by a tongue-and-groove construction, this plate having at its inner end an opening 26 over which the work is placed and through which a predetermined length of tape is raised into contact with the work. By sliding the plate 22 from the support iii access may be had to some of the parts below the support without removing the entire top portion of the machine.

The tape reel for supplying tape to the mac hine is supported on a bracket 2t bolted to the V'side of the machine (Figs. 3 and 13) the bracket having fixed to its free end a spindlev 28 upon which are mounted a pair of spaced disks '3S betweenwhich the reel of tape is disposed on the spindle. One of the disks VIi@ abuts the bracket 2E at the inner end of the spindle and the other is yieldably urged toward it by a strip of spring steel 32 riveted to the disk and having an aperture therein so that it may be slipped over the end of the spindle with the disk. The free ends of the strip 32, whichv are provided with enlarged apertures 33, are bent outwardly away from the disk and back upon themselves so that they may be brought into engagement with the spindle and locked in a predetermined position by engagement with grooves 36 formed thereon. By changing the position of the ends of the spring in the grooves formed in the spindle, the movable disk Sill may be caused frictionally to engage the side of the reel of tape to provide more or less resistance to turning, as desired. AV disk 3| placed on the spindle 23 engages the inside of the core of the tape reel, thereby holding it concentric with the spindle.

The tape is unwound from the tape reel by the tape-feeding means I2. Since one coil of tape tends to adhere to the succeeding coil, there 4is a tendency, when the tape is unwound, for the feeding means to pull the tapeunevenly away from the reel, and, in order to prevent this, a drag or braking roll 34 is provided between the tape reel and the feeding means which engages `the tacky surface of the tape and prevents sudden delivery of an excess amount of tape by irregularities in the rotation of the tape reel.' The drag roll 3 is mounted on a horizontally disposed stud 35, the latter being fastened at one end to the bracket 25 by a setscrew 38. The tape is held by a vertical abutment 39 with its rear edge in alinement with work-positioning gages, to be hereinafter de-v scribed. A finger @i8 is provided for engaging the front edge of the tape thereby to hold the rear edge against the abutment 38, the finger being adjustable for different widths of tape. To this end, as illustrated, the finger 4i! is attached to the bracket 25 adjacent to the drag roll 3l! by a screw-and-slot connection i2 and is adjustable transversely of theV tape (Figs. 3 and 6). i.

The tape-feeding means i2 comprises, as is shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a horizontal plate 44 against the underside of which the tape is held by an arm i6 having a blunt edge which bites into the tape when it is forced toward the plate iii. The plate iii is reciprocated in a horizontal plane to move the tape into a position beneath the opening 26 and is mounted for reciprocation with a fiat bar i8 which is slidable in a slot 5@ formed on the underside of the support I3. To

this end, a vertical web 52 (Fig. 2) is formedY integral with the horizontal plate lli and from the web 52 there extends a rib 5ft which is fastened by screws 53 in a transverse groove 56 formed in the upper surface tof the bar d3. The arm Ait, which co-operates with the plate M to grip the tape, is pivotally mounted on a stud til (Fig. 5) extending from the web 52, the arm normally being urged in a direction to bite into the tape by a spring 62 fastened at one end to the arm and at the opposite end to the web 52. The reciprocation of the sliding bar (i8, and consequently of the tape-feeding means, is produced by a lever i513 (Fig. 6) one end of which is pivotally attached by a pin t5 to the underside of the sliding bar "i3, The lever 5 is supported between its ends upon a vertically disposed spindle t@ (Figs. 6 and 9) for oscillation in a horizontal plane, the oscillation about the spindle being produced by a cam follower 68 which is fastened to the opposite end of the arm. The cam follower occupies a cam slot 'i formed in a cam l2. The cam `l2 is fastened by a pin M to a drive shaft the latter being driven by a pulley 'i8 which is loosely mounted on the shaft and may be connected'thereto to produce a single revolution of the' shaft by a one-revolution clutch 8f3 which is treadle operated, the treadle rod being shown at 82.

The length of the tape to be applied to the work will vary with the type of vamp, that is, whether it is a blucher or bal, as explained Y above, and accordingly the tape-feeding means is constructed so that the length of'tape may be varied to suit the kind of Work being operated upon. This is accomplished herein byV changing the position of the spindle 56 about which the lever Gli oscillates to increase er decrease theV is slidably supported between ways 92 formed on the inside wall of the base 2Q and is held in a selected position by a stem` 9@ which passes through a slot 9S formed in the Wall and a thumb nut 98 threaded over the projecting' end 'of the stem and abutting a plate iS@ disposed between the outer surface of the wall and the thumb nut. By backing offthethumb' nut Si?, the biock 9i) may be moved alongtheways 92 thereby to shift 4the yposition of the spindle 6'6 land blockin escaner" the slot 84 of the lever 64. By shifting the spindle 66 toward the front of the machine, the throw of the end of the lever 64 is shortened and by shifting the spindle 66 toward the back of the machine, the throw of the lever 64 is increased. Theplate |66 is provided with an index or pointer |02 which registers with a scale (not shown) graduated in quarter inches on the side wall of the machine so that the operator may, by adjusting the position of the index along the scale, increase or decrease the length of the tape known amounts. l

Prior to the application of the tape to the work by the pressure-applying means I6, the tape must be severed from the remainder of the tape. In order to provide a clean out during the severing operation it is desirable to hold the projecting end of the tape close to the point at which it is to be cut and, accordingly, tape-clamping means |64 (Figs. 3 and 4) is provided a portion of which is mounted, together with a part of the tape severing means, upon the pressure-applying means and is movable therewith at right an-gles to the plane of the tape toward the work support. The tape-clamping means |64 comprises a fixed bar |06 and a movable plate |66, the edges of the bar and plate being co-operable by movement of the plate into engagement with the bar to grip the tape. The bar |66 is fastened to the support I6 along one edge of the opening 2li and is provided witha vertical downwardly extending surface and an upwardly inclined surface extending backwardly from the vertical surface. The plate |68 is slidably mounted on one side of the pressure-applying member I 6, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, being retained in position by the base H6 of a bracket ||2, the purpose of which will be described hereinafter, which is fastened by screws i4 to the pressure-applying member. The plate |68 occupies a vertical position and its upper edge is cut backwardly and downwardly so that the apex formed by the sloping surface and the vertical inner surface of the plate co-operate with the edge of the bar |66 to bite the tape. A bore is formed in the bottom edge of the plate |36 for the reception of a compression spring H6 the lower end of which is backed up by a plate llS fastened by screws |26 to the ,bottom of the pressure-applying member I6. Thus, the pressure-applying means I6 may continue to move upwardly after the tape-clamping means have been brought together to grip the tape, the lower member |68 of the clamping means remaining stationary while the pressure-applying means moves by it, compressing the spring It, as shown in Fig. 4. A pin |22 fastened to the pressureapplying means I6 is provided, for withdrawing the plate 68 as the pressure-applying means descends, the end of the pin engaging a ledge 22e formed on the inner side of the plate |66.

The severing means I4 comprises both the bar I 66 which forms the fixed portionof the tapeclamping means and a hardened steel plate |26 whichis fastened to the top of the pressure-applying means, the upper surface of the plate providing the means 4for contacting the tape and pressing it into engagement with the work as the pressure-applyingmeans i6 rises. The hardened steel plate |26, as shown in Figs. 2 and 8, is provided with a depending flange |28 having a slot |36 therein through which there is passed a bolt |32 for securing the plate in position. The inner edge ofthe plate, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, lies in the plane of the vertical surface `of the bar |06 and when moved upwardlyco-operates with the llow'er edge 'of' the bar |66 'progressively to shear the tape transversely.`Y The plate may be adjusted on the pressure-applying` means to bring its edge into a proper shearing relation with the bar |66 and for this purpose a screw |34 (Fi-g.` 8) is threaded into the side of the pressure-applying means I6 so that its head' engages the edge of the steel plate |26 opposite the shearing edge. By releasing the bolt |32 and rotating the screw |34, the position of the plate |26 may be adjusted inwardly or outwardly as is desired. During the shearing operation there is a tendency for the pressure-applying means to bethrust to one side, especially if the shearing instrumentalities havebecome dull or the tape is especially heavy. If this occurs, the cutis ragged and sometimes the displacement is of such magnitude that the tape is not sheared but is merely bent upwardly between the shearing surfaces. To prevent such displacement, a roll |36 (Fig, 3) is positioned for engagement with the side face of the pressure-applying means opposite the shearing edge. The roll |36 is mounted on a spindle |38 journaled in the walls of a slot |46 formed in the upper end of a bracket |42, the latter being bolted to the base at |44.

The pressure-applying means I6, tape-clamping plate |68, and severing plate |26 are reciprocated in a direction at right angles -to the tape by an arm |46 (Figs. l, 6 and' 8), the pressure-applying means i6 comprising a block formed integrally with one end thereof. The arm M6 is mounted between its ends upon a horizontal spindle |46, the latter being journaled at its ends between a pair of uprights |50 rising from the bottom of the housing. The opposite end of the arm Eddie provided with a yoke-shaped portion |62 (Fig. l) which is arranged to encompass a cam |54 fastened by a pin |56 to the shaft 16. Rotation of the cam |5f oscillates the arm H36 and produces vertical reciprocation of the pressure-applying means.

When the tape has been fed into a position beneath the opening 24| in the work support lll and a predetermined portion severed therefrom and moved upwardly by the pressure-applying means into engagement with the work, the superposed pieces are pressed, by further upward movement of the pressure-applying means, against a backing means |58 which is arranged to receive the upward thrust of the pressure-applying means so that the tape will be firmly united with the work. The backing means |56, as shown in Figs. l and '7, comprises a block |66 of transparent material, such as nonshatterable glass or a plastic, which overlies and is spaced from the surface of the work support in a position to contact the display surface of the work when the pressure-applying means thrusts the tape against the work. Since the block |66 is transparent, the operator may observe the position of the work beneath it and may adjust the work with respect to a hairline |62 formed `on the surface of the block to a position in which the center of that portion of the work which is to be reinforced lies midway between the ends of the tape which is below the work support and which the operator cannot see. 'Ihe block |66, as will appear hereinafter, is adjustable to bring the hairline-to a position in which it lies midway between the ends of the severed tape. The transparent block |60 is mounted on a forked block |55 and is held in notches |64 formed in the lower edges of a pair of parallel spaced arms |66 thereon, the block being pivotally mounted upon the ends of a spindle |68 (Fig. 1), the spindle in turn being supported' by a bracket |10 which is attached by bolt-:andslot connections |1|, |12 (Fig. 6) to the worksupporting cover of the machine. A shouldered bolt |14 which is threaded through the bracket |10 is passed through the forked block |65, the shouldered portion engaging the top side of the block and providing means for adjusting the arms'l66 about the spindle |68. This adjustment permits the operator to raise or lower the transparent block |60 with respect to the work support for different thicknesses of work.` A setscrew |16 is provided for locking the bolt |14 in an adjusted position. To prevent damage to the transparent block |60, the arms |66 are yieldably maintained in their adjusted' position by a compression spring |11 mounted on the bolt |14, the lower end of the spring abutting a washer |18 and the upper end being seated in a recess |80 formed in the block |65. The resistance to yielding may be varied by shortening or lengthening the spring |11, a nut |82 being provided for this purpose. The transparent block |60 is removable and the means for clamping it inthe notches |64 comprises a screw |84 (Fig. 7) which passes between the arms |66 and may be manipulated to draw the arms toward each other thereby to grip the edges of the block |60. It is to be observed that in order to maintain the hairline |62 on the transparent block midway between the ends of the tape for different lengths of tape, means must be provided for adjusting the position of the block longitudinally of the tape. This is made possible by movement of the bracket |10 on the support longitudinally'of the tape, the bolt-and-slot connectionsV lli, |12 previously reerred to providing for ready adjustment of the b-racket.

In order to locate the fore and ait position of the work on'the support I0, gages are provided for engagementwith the throat of the vamp. In order to provide for either the bal or blucher type shoe, two gages |86, |88 (Fig. l) are mounted above the work supoprt |0 upon the bracket |10 in such a manner that one or the other may be employed as is desired. VWhen applying tape to the bal type vamp V (Fig. 11) a single gage point is sufficient and for this purpose the gage |88 is employed, this gage having a bent end |90 which engages the top of the support and, as shown in Fig. l0, has a surface parallel to the edge of the tape. By holding the vamp throat against this gage, the work may be positioned so that the edgeV of the tape andthe throat are alined. In the blucher type vamp VV (Fig. 12), the vamp throat has an inwardly projecting tongue and consequently other gaging means must be provided. Accordingly, the gage |06, which is shown in Fig. 1, is mounted on top of the gage |83 and is slidable from a retracted position downwardly into contact with the work, the end |92 of this gage being bifurcated so that it straddles the tongue.. A thumbscrew |94 passed through slots in both of these gages fastens them to the bracket |10 and provides means for locking one or the other in an operative position.

lDuring the tape-severing operation, as heretofore described, the tape is held by the clamping means Hit-|08. Due to the fact that one surface of the tape is tacky, when the clamping means separate upon the reverse-movement of the pressure-applying means, the end of the tape would adhere tothe upper x'edV portion H6 of the clamping means. As a result, when the succeeding feeding motionV is imparted to the tapefeeding means, the end of the tape which is stuck to the clamping means would not advance and a. loop would be formed in the tape which would fold upon itself and, consequently, would not properlyk be applied to the work. To eliminate this, the feeding means I2 is so constructed that near the end of its lreverse movement it will retract the tape suiciently to pull it away from the clamping means |06. This is accomplished by the relative timing of the tape-gripping andv the tape-feeding means. As shown in Fig.l 4, when the pressure-applying means I6 is in pressure-applying position, the upper surface |96 of the bracket I2 engages the lower end of the armv 46 and tilts it about its pivot 60 so that the tapeengaging portion thereof is held away from the plate 44. Accordingly, as the tape-feeding means i2 is retracted by the lever 64, it moves backwardly along the tape without gripping it. Near the end of the return stroke, however, the pressure-applying means I6 has begun to move in its reverse direction and the surface |66 moves away from the lower end of the arm 46 so that the tape-engaging portion of the latter again grips the tape, thereby giving it a short reverse pull before the lever 64 completes its oscillation.

When the machine is in operation, the stroke of the tape-feeding means is first adjusted by positioning the index or pointer |02 opposite the proper indicia on the scale and then the work is placed with its flesh surface down upon the Work support I0 over the opening 24 and below the transparent block |60 with its throat edge in Contact with the appropriate gage. The hairline 52 on the transparent block |60 is then used as a guide for positioning the Work lengthwise of the tape so that the point to which the tape is to be applied lies substantially equally on opposite sides of the hairline |62, the operator being able to make this adjustment accurately beneath the transparent plate which permits an unobstructed view of the work. Having positioned the work transversely and also fore and aft by means of one or the other of the gages |85, iii,V

the operator trips the one-revolution clutch 80, whereupon the feeding means I2 moves the tape to a position beneath the opening 24. Simultaneously, the pressure-applying means begins to ascend, the tape clamps |06, |08 come into engagement with the opposite sides of the tape and hold it during the severing operation which follows immediately. After the tape is severed, the continued upward movement of the pressureapplying means lifts the severed tape into engagement with the Work and presses the superposed pieces against the transparent block |60.A

DuringV the latter part of the forward movement of the pressure-applying means the surface |95 comes into contact with the lower end of the arm 46, thereby releasing the tape so that during the reverse movement of the feeding means the tape is not gripped. Near the end of the reverse movement of the tape-feeding'means, however, the pressure-applying means begins to descend and during the last'part of the movement of the tape-feeding means moves the surface |96V away from the arm 46 sufficiently to permit the tapeengaging portion thereof to again grip the tape,

thereby pulling thetapejback a small amountV and disengaging it from the tape-clamping means. The cycle of operation is then complete and the work is removed from the machine.

Having described my invention, what I claim asnew and desire to secureby Letters Patentof 1. Ina tape-applying machine having tape-Y severingandfapplying mechanisms, an oscillatory tapelfeeding device `having 'a releasable tapeengagi-rig member, means for holding the free end of the succeeding tape during the return movement of the feeding device, means for releasing' the tape-engaging membenand means for releasing said holding means prior to the termination ofsaid return movement, said lastnamedmeans being constructed and arranged to causearecesssion vof the tape to separate said freeendffrom' `the holding means.

2.In a` tape-applying machine, oscillatory tape-feeding mechanism having a releasable gripper, la movable member arranged to hold the free end of the tape during the returnmovement structed and arranged to causethe severingv means to sever the tape and thereafter to discontinuethe effectiveness of the tape-feeding means.

4. In a 'machine for applying tape to a shoe part, `an aperturedsuppor't arranged to receive the shoe part with the portion `towhic'h the tape is to' be appliedf overlyingthe aperture, Ytapefeeding means operable t`o advance a predetermined length of tape below the aperture in the support, means for severing the tape, means for holding the tape 'adjacent to the point at which it is severed, and pressure-applying means operable to lift the severed tape into engagement with Athe shoe part, said tape-severing means being constructed and arranged to cause the holding means to grip the tape and thereafter to discontinue the effectiveness of the tape-feeding means." f

5. In a machine for applying tape to a shoe part, an apertured support arranged to receive the shoe part with the portion to which the tape is to be applied overlying the aperture, oscillatory tape-feeding means, means for oscillating the tape-feeding means to advance a length of tape beneath the aperture and for then returning the tape-feeding means for a succeeding length of tape, means for severing the advanced tape, and means for lifting the severed tape into engagement with the shoe part, said last-named means being constructed and arranged to cause the feeding means to release the tape at the end of its advancing movement and to re-engage the tape near the end of its return movement.

`6. In a machine for applying tape to a shoe part, an apertured support arranged to receive the shoe part with the portion to which the tape is to be applied overlying the aperture, oscillatory tape-feeding means, means for oscillating the tape-feeding means to advance a length of tape beneath the aperture, means for severing the tape, means for holding the tape adjacent to the point at which it is severed, and pressure-applying means operable to lift the severed tape into engagement with the shoe part, said severing and holding means comprising, in common, a fixed bar having angularly related surfaces and members mounted on the pressure-applying means and movable-therewith, one of said members having a surface extending in advance of the 5 pressure-applying means and the other having a surface'in the plane of the pressure-applying means, the movement of the pressure-applying means being operable to bring the surface of the one member into engagement with one of the surfaces of the fixed bar and thereafter to move the surface of the other member past the other surface of the ii'xed bar in shearing relation to said last-named surface.

V7. In a machine for applying tape to a shoe part, an oscillatory tape-feeding means having a releasablegripper, means for causing the tapefeeding means to advance a predetermined length of tape andto return for a 'succeeding length of tape,and means for severing the tape, said last-named means being constructed and arranged 'to release the gripper prior to the beginning of the return movement of the tapefeeding means.

8. In a machine for applying tape to a shoe partjan oscillatory tape-feeding'meansl compris'- ing jaws to'engage the tape, said tape-feeding means being operable to advance a predetermined length of tape, tape-severing means operable to sever said predetermined length of tape, andan arm associated with the tape-severing means operable to separate the jaws at the end of the advance feeding movement.`

9. In a machine for applying tape to a shoe part, an oscillatory tape-feeding means comprising jaws to engage the tape, means for oscillating the tape-feeding means to advance a length of tape `and to return the jaws for a succeeding length of tape, tape-severing means, means for holding the free end of the succeeding tape dur- '40 ing the return movement of the feeding means,

andan arm associated with said tape-severing means and movable therewith to separate the jaws at the end of the advancing movement of the jaws,the timing of the parts being such that said arm holds the jaws separated during the `major portion of the return movement of the jaws.

10. In a machine for applying tape to a shoe' part, an oscillatory tape-feeding means comprising a nxed and a movable jaw, means for oscillating the tape-feeding means to advance a predetermined length of tape and to return for a succeeding length of tape, tape-severing means, movable means to cause said tape-severing means to sever the tape, and an arm associated with the last-named means and movable therewith to engage the movable jaw and separate it from the xed jaw at the end of the advancing movement of the tape-feeding means, said arm being retracted by the reverse movement of said last-named means to permit re-engagement of the movable jaw with the tape near the end of the return movement of the tape-feeding means.

11. In a machine for applying tape to a shoe part. an oscillatory tape-feeding means comprising a fixed jaw and a movable jaw spring pressed tnv/'ard the fixed jaw, means for oscillating the tape-feeding means to advance a predetermined length of tape and to return the tape-feeding means for a succeeding length of tape, means for severing the tape, means for actuating said severing means, and means carried by said actuating means to maintain the movable jaw separated from the fixed jaw during the greater part of the l Y return movement of the tape-feeding means.

12. In a machinefor applying tapeto -a shoe part, `anapertured support arranged to receive the shoe part with the portion to Which the tapel is to be applied overlying vthe aperture,-tapefeedingrmeans, means foroscillating the tape-feed ingmeans/` to advance a lengthV oftape beneath l theaperture, means for` severingithe tape, pres- 1 sure-applying. means, a Ypressure plate mounted abovethe aperture in the support,` and means for moving'the pressure-applyingmeans through said aperture to lift the severed tape into en-v gagement with the Shoe part andnthereaiterV toV press the 4superposed pieces againstthepressure plate, said pressure plate being adjustable on the support lengthwise of the tape. Y Y

13.V In a machine for applying tape to a shoe part, an apertured support arranged-to receive the shoe part with the portion torwhich the tape is to be applied overlying` the aperture, oscillaplate for different kinds of Work arranged to engage 'an edge of the work on the support, and means for holding one of said gages in gaging position While holding the other-of said gagesin an out-of-the-Way position.

15. In a machine for applying tape toa shoe part, an aperturedsupport arranged to receive the` shoe part with the portion to vwhich the tape is to be applied overlying the aperture, a pressure plate, means for Vlifting a piece of tape throughthe aperture into engagement with the shoe Vpart andthereafter 'pressing' the superposed pieces against the pressure plate, and means for supporting said plate on said support above said aperture, said means comprising Va bracket adjustably fixed to said support, `a spindle carried by said bracket, means pivotally mounted on said spindle to hold the pressure plate, and means for yieldably holding said last-named means in a tory tape-feeding means, means for oscillating the tape-feeding means to advance a length of tape beneath the aperture, means for severingv the tape, 4pressure-applying means operable to lift the tape into engagement with the shoe part,V a pressure plate mounted above the aperture inthe support, means vfor moving the pressureapplying means through said aperture to lift the tape into engagement With'the `shoe part and thereafter to press the superposed pieces against the pressure plate, and gage means mounted on saidpressure plate to locate the shoe part on the support.-

14. In a machine for applying tapev to a shoe part, anfapertured support arranged tov receivel the shoepart with the portion to which the ,tape

is to beapplied overlying the aperture, oscillatory tape-feeding means, means for oscillating the tape-feeding means to advance a length of tape-beneath the aperture, means for severingV the tape,- pressure-applying means, a pressure plate mountedv above 'the aperture in the support, means forrmoving thepressure-applying means through said-aperture to lift the severed tape into engagement with the shoe part and thereafter to press the superposed pieces against the pressure p1ate,p1ural gagesmounted on 'said pressure predetermined position on saidspindle.

17. In a machine for applying tape to a shoe n part, an apertured support arranged to Yreceive the 4shoe part With the portion to ywhich the ,tape is to be applied overlying the aperturetapefeed ing means arranged to move a length of tape below the aperture, tape-severing means operable to cut-a predetermined length of tape, pressureapplying means'for lifting the severed tape into engagement With the shoe part, a lever supporting the tape-feeding means, a, lever carrying the tape-severing and pressure-applying means, .a common drive shaft, and cams on said drive shaft operable to oscillate the respective levers in horizontaland vertical planes.

HARRY D. ELLIOTT. 

